Posts Tagged With: Belgium

Thurisaz embodies the polarity of life and death and the struggle to keep them in balance. Expect conflict, hardship and obstacles, but be assured that remaining focused and in touch with your inner strengths will see you through whatever comes your way. This Rune may also represent protection from your enemies, which is never a bad thing.

This is our beauty, our tuxie Zazou!! Two years after we got out cat Inka, we realized that our house and our hearts were big enough for another cat!

We went to a cat shelter where we found Zazou! She was not beautiful at all then, since she had just had kittens, was malnourished and covered with fleas. The shelter owner told us she had been delivered to the door of the shelter in a closed icebox, together with her kittens. Luckily the dog of the house heard this, or every cat in the box would have died! Zazou, sadly, was the only survivor.

We chose her because as soon I sat down on a chair which stood in the middle of the cat place, she jumped on my lap and started purring! I have no idea how we came on her name, it just popped in our mind and we loved it right away! Zazou is a very sweet and friendly cat! She gets along with all three other cats we have! At first she was allowed to play in the garden, just her sisters. But we saw she always ran right to our backyard neighbor’s, and would go in the stables. That neighbor is a mean man, because once, even after more than a week, he never told us he had locked up our cat in there. Only after he accused her of damaging the oldtimer cars which were also there, did he call us to come and get her. After this scenario happened twice, we didn’t allow her outside anymore for her own safety. Together with our Snoopy she is now a happy indoor cat.

Zazou loves wet food and loves playing with little fake fur mice; but she is sooo lazy! She wants the mice to come to her instead of chasing them! She is very shy towards others, especially loud people, but once she trusts you, she is the sweetest cat you’ll ever know!

Atalanta

by Mia Gibson

Atalanta is the female athlete in Greek myth. It is unclear exactly where Atalanta comes from, some sources say that she came from Arcadia and was the daughter of Iasus and Clymene, but Hesiod and other sources attributes Atalanta’s origin to Boeotia where her father is Schoeneus. The contradiction over Atalanta’s birth contributes to the assumption that there were two maythic women that were merged into one person.

Whoever Atalanta’s father was, he wanted a boy so bad that when Atalanta was born, he exposed her on a hill were she was suckled by a she bear, sent by Artemis, until a group of hunters found her and raised her to womanhood. Atalanta, like Artemis, loved to hunt.

Atalanta is best known for participation in male activities while at the same time having an aura of sexuality surrounding her. For example, some sources say that Atalanta was one of the Argonauts. Atalanta was even wounded in a battle with the Colchians and was healed by Medea, who was also on the voyage. But at the same time, other sources say that Jason refused to let Atalanta go on the voyage because she was a woman.

One male activity Atalanta definitely participated in was the Calydonian Boar Hunt. Other male members of the hunt objected to her presence, but consumed with lust, Meleagerinsisted that Atalanta be allowed to join. During the hunt, centaurs Hylaeus and Rhaecus tried to rape Atalanta. Atalanta killed both of them, thus the first bloodshed of the Calydonian Boar Hunt was human.

Atalanta shot the first arrow to pierce the boar. Because of this, Meleager gave Atalanta the boar’s pelt. This resulted in even more human bloodshed, Meleager’s two uncles protested to Atalanta receiving the pelt, so Meleager killed them. When Meleager’s mother heard that Meleager had killed her brothers, she threw an enchanted log on the fire, once the log finished burning Meleager would die.

After Atalanta’s success at the boar hunt, Atalanta’s father, Iasus or Schoeneus, was proud and claimed her as his daughter. Atalanta was reconciled with her father. Since Atalanta was now a princess, Iasus wanted Atalanta to marry. Atalanta had been warned not to marry by the Oracle. Atalanta came up with a witty plan that would stop her from having to marry. She would race the suitors, the one who beat her in the foot race would be the lucky man to marry her, but if she won, she could kill the man. Atalanta made the bargain knowing that no one could beat her. One day a racer, Melanion or to some sources Hippomenes, fell in love with Atalanta and wanted to marry her, but he knew he could not beat her so he called on Aphrodite, the love goddess, for assistance. Aphroditeprovided Melanion with three golden apples to entice Atalanta. During the race, whenever Atalanta would get ahead of Melanion, he would roll one of the golden apples forward, forcing a curious Atalanta to stop and pick the apple up. Atalanta’s frequent stops gave Melanion the advantage he needed and he won the race and Atalanta’s hand in marriage.

Once married, it seems that Atalanta could not contain her inhibitions any longer, for one day she allowed Melanion to seduce her in the temple of Zeus. Zeus was so angered that he turned them into lions. This was a fitting punishment because lions can not mate with each other.

Atalanta has a son named Parthenopaeus (son of a pierced maidenhead). Once again, there is a dispute as to who the father is. Some sources say that Atalanta had an affair with Meleagar, other sources attribute Parthenopaues to Ares or Melanion. Parthenpaoues was active in the war known as the Seven Against Thebes.

Argonauts

by James Hunter

The Argonauts were the heroes who sailed with Jason on the Argo, in quest of the Golden Fleece. They are often called the “Minyans,” because of the tribe and region from which Jason came, but many of them came from other parts of the Greek world.

According to Apollonius of Rhodes, 55 men accompanied Jason; Apollodorus lists 43 men and one woman, and various numbers can be derived from other sources. The lists do not correspond very well, but the following are some of the more famous names mentioned: Orpheus (the greatest musician of the ancient world); Heracles (the son of Zeus, famous for his Twelve Labors); Hylas (Heracles’ companion); Telamon (the father of Ajax); Peleus (the father of Achilles and the brother of Telamon); Argos (the builder of the Argo); Polydeuces and Castor (or Pollux and Castor — known as the Dioscuri, they were the sons of Leda and Zeus, and the brothers of Helen of Troy); Meleager (who killed the Calydonian boar); Zetes and Calais (the Boreads); Theseus (who killed the Minotaur and the hero of a number of other legends); Laertes (father of Odysseus); Autolycus (son of Hermes and a master thief); Atalanta (a great huntress who was the first to wound the Calydonian boar and was beloved by Meleager).